The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for characterizing devices, such as integrated optoelectronic circuits/devices, such as integrated photonic circuits.
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are increasingly employed in a variety of applications, such as optical fiber communication, wavelength division multiplexing, and optical signal processing. Monolithic integration of optoelectronic devices, such as amplifiers, waveguides, and splitters, into PICs render characterization of those devices difficult. Preferably, the device performance of individual elements in PICs should be tested at the wafer level, prior to packaging and fiber coupling. Although on-chip electrical measurements such as IV curves and photocurrent measurements can be used to identify catastrophic failures in individual devices on a PIC at the wafer level, such measurements fail to characterize material parameters of the devices under operating conditions and may also fail to identify certain defects and failures.
Accordingly, there is a need for enhanced methods and systems of characterizing devices, such as photonic integrated devices and circuits.